HD 300 1nd EditionExam # 3 Study Guide Units 15-22Units: 15 through 22Memory and Child WitnessesWhat other factors can alter memories?- Children view adults as a credible and competent sources of information, may try to conform to make their answers fit what they think the questioner wants, when asked a question more than once- Suggestion/fishing Be familiar with the various levels (long term/short term, etc.) and types (infantile, flashbulb, implicit/explicit, etc.) of memory.- Levels of Memory:o Perception- individual senses or perceives something à o Short term memory (15-30 seconds) ào Decision (conscious or unconscious) on what to retain ào Intermediate memory (30 seconds) à o Long term memory Some things get stored here but we are unaware that they are  May last a lifetime May change over time, but usually pretty set May not be able to access it readily - Types of Memoryo Infantile memory Inability to remember early memories or events that occurred very early in life Memories are not encoded in long term memory (Piaget) Other researchers claim that earliest memories are either:- Encoded differently and therefore not remembered- They are there but no retrieval mechanism o Implicit memory Represent earliest fundamental neural system functioning Unconscious, but affect behavior without us understanding whyo Explicit Memory  Can be immediately recalled How we can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at a specific point in time - “Flashbulb Memory”: an incident so profound that it is captured like a picture in our memorieso Psychological defense mechanisms Suppression - A conscious decision to put the memory on the “back burner”- The memory maybe manifest in other behaviors such as promiscuity, eating disorders, etc.- Its like a computer icon Repression - Unconsciouso The event is so traumatic that the psyche cannot deal with it. It is forgotten, but is stored in the brain somewhere- These events may also be manifest in behaviors, but the person has no recollection of past events- The memory may appear in dreams or flashbacksWhat is mnemonics?- a device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something What are the pros and cons of using anatomically correct dolls/helpers? How should they be used?- Pros of using anatomically correct dollso Help younger children express what they need to if they do not have the verbal skills needed to describe their experience - Concerns of the anatomically correct dollso The dolls are suggestive and encourage the child to engage in sexual play even if they have not been abused o No comparative information on non-abused children’s play with the dollso No standardized method for using the dolls - How to useo Hand the child the dolls and tell them to choose which ones they need to show what happenedo Ask open ended questionso The helpers are dressed o Disclosure of abuse must occur prior to playing with the doll o Avoid yes or no questions, never mention a perpetrator o Get the child to demonstrate what they saying , answers a million questions and saves timeo If the child doesn’t know what to do with the doll, put them awayWhat is suggestibility? How does it affect child witnesses?- Children are suggestible:o Have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasyo Susceptible to coaching from an authority figureo Potentially les reliable than adult witnesses- Research has shown mixed result:o Evidence of age related changes under some conditions but not others, younger children appear to be more susceptible to suggestions compared to older children, research has not resolved the difference- instead it has fueled debatesFalse Memory SyndromeWhat is it and how does it occur?- Memory is not exact, open to individual interpretation, and can be based on suggestions that an event occurred, when in fact it did not- More to do with suggestibility and less to do with memoryHow do you assess validity of the child's report?- Credible memories are recalled spontaneously and early in the therapy process, more likely to be triggered by something in the individual’s environment rather than prompting - False memories often do not appear until after much prompting and after a long period of time has passedBe familiar with the various psychological defense mechanisms.- Suppression o A conscious decision to put the memory on the “back burner”o The memory maybe manifest in other behaviors such as promiscuity, eating disorders, etc.o It’s like a computer icon- Repressiono Unconscious The event is so traumatic that the psyche cannot deal with it. It is forgotten, but is stored in the brain somewhereo These events may also be manifest in behaviors, but the person has no recollection of past eventso The memory may appear in dreams or flashbacksPost Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)What is it? What kinds of experiences cause it?- Involves exposure to a traumatic event- The person experienced, witnessed, or was threatened with death or serious injury or there was a threat to the physical integrity of self or other and the response involved intense fear, helplessness or horrorWhat are some of the features of PTSD?- Re-experiencing the evento Recurrent intrusive distressing images, thoughts, or perceptionso Recurrent distressing dreams of the evento Acting of feeling as if the event were recurring (reliving the event)o Intense psychological distress or reactivity when exposed to cues resembling an aspect of the traumatic event - Avoidance/numbingo Avoidance of thoughts, feeling, or conversations associated with the traumao Avoidance of activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the traumao Inability to recall important aspects of the traumao Diminished interest in significant activitieso Felling estranged from otherso Sense of foreshortened future (sense of doom)- Persistent symptoms of increased arousalo Difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleepo Irritability or outburst of anger o Difficulty concentrating o Hypervigilanceo Exaggerated startle responseWhat are some of the manifestations of PTSD in children?- Repetitive play in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed - Recurrent and frightening dreams or night terrors- Trauma-specific re-enactment- Avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma- Numbing of general responsiveness- Re-enacted of the trauma: involving another child or a pet in the re-enactment-